BENIN CITY-The panel of inquiry investigating suspected N32m fraud at the Customary Court of Appeal (CCA) headquarters in Benin City has quizzed the Chief Registrar Mrs Agnes Aiboagun and some other principal officers of the directorate in the state capital.

Though the panel has not indicted anyone at press time, investigations revealed that the Chief Registrar and an account officer grilled by the committee are signatories to the account of the directorate.

It was gathered that the officers were separately grilled for several hours following documents made available to the four-man panel of inquiry sItting in the directorate headquarters at Aiguobasimwin Street, GRA, Benin City.

This came as the two weeks extension granted the panel to submit its report ends this week.

When our reporter visited the directorate headquarters about 3pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2015 the Chief Registrar Mrs Aiboagun admitted to have just be grilled for several hours by the panel.

The Chief Registrar who was looking exhausted declined further comment on the issue but took our reporter before  her superior Chief Justice Peter Isibor, the President, Edo State Customary Court of Appeal.

Hon. Justice Peter Isibor confirmed the constitution of a four-man panel of inquiry with a mandate to “A: To ascertain and verify all income and expenditure for this directorate for the period stated above.

“B: To ascertain whether there was any fraud committed.

“C: To recommend appropriate measures for the disbursement of all incomes henceforth, and

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“D: To recommend measures for shoring up income of this directorate in future”. Hon. Justice Isibor explained.

Hon. Justice Isibor gave the names of the Committee members as Hon. Justice T.U Obo, Chairman; Hon. Justice P. A Akhihiero, member; Hon. Justice O. Ovbiagele, member, but later withdrawn his membership and, Hon. T. A Momodu, secretary.

He disclosed further explained one of the panel members Hon. Justice O. Ovbiagele later withdrawn his membership for undisclosed reason.

The Customary Court President further explained that the said N32million was overhead paid to the directorate by Edo State Government for the months of January to April, specifically.

“I have been very circumspect when it comes to the management of funds here, I have been very circumspect indeed, unless I see what they want to use funds for and I find that it is reasonable, I don’t approve.

“But, to the best of my knowledge all my approvals certainly have been predicated on the utility and usefulness of any request made”. He maintained.

He however stated that for now a case of fraud or mismanagement of funds has not been established in the directorate until the panel submits its report.

It was however scooped that some senior officers at the directorate were not at home when they learnt that the president granted our reporter audience.

They were said to have agreed to keep the outcome of the panel to their chest.